Parenthood
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: The story of how my Alice adopted her first daughter, Kate. R/R


DISCLAIMER: We DO NOT own any of the chars from Disney's AIW. They belong to Disney. I only own Alicen Sierra Kimberly Miller and her little sister, Samantha, as well as Alice's daughter, Katelyn Elisabeth. If anyone would like to use Alice or her little sister, Samantha or Alice's daughter, please ask me first.

Thanks!

God loves you  
Enjoy!

A/N: I hope everyone likes this next story.

Summary: Wonderland gains a new resident.

"Parenthood"

Twenty-two-year-old Alicen Sierra Kimberly Miller, Alice, smiled to herself as she closed up the center for the night. She had volunteered to do this after Carly, the person she worked with had gotten a call saying that her sister was in labor. She had been waiting for her niece to be born for a few months now.

The family had been anticipating the little one's arrival with joy and excitement.

In fact, that's what Carly's older sister, Sara, had named her newborn gift from above. Joy. Her full name was Joy Abigail.

After Alice had heard of Joy's safe arrival into the world, she had found herself longing to have a child of her own. She loved children and was good with them after all. She had thought of adoption a few times. But it wasn't until her Aunt Alyssa had suggested she talk to a friend of hers that Alice had really started considering the possibility.

Alice had made an appointment to see her aunt's friend, Melissa, the next day.

Alice and her Aunt Alyssa were very close. During the first few months after her parents left, it was her aunt who had first taken her and Sammie in.

Even though the stay was temporary, Alyssa had paved the way for her grandmother to take over.

Even as an adult, Alice still visited her aunt from time to time. Her two cousins, Lucy and Paige loved it when she visited. They especially loved to hear about her adventures in Wonderland.

She promised to take Paige, who was soon going to be ten to visit Wonderland soon. She was thinking of doing that for her birthday present.

After all, Alice herself had had many fun birthdays in Wonderland. All thrown by the Hatter of course and always a memorable experience for one reason or another.

Alice knew her little cousin would hit it off with him immediately.

Even though Paige was sort of a bookworm, she also had a outgoing side that reared its head every now and again. The other thing that she had Hatter had in common was they both enjoyed inventing things.

Even though Paige's creativity was best left on an easel or in a jewelry shop, she had her occasional brushes with the creative bug of a different kind. This would often lead her on a wild recycle bin chase to come up with just the right objects to bring her creations to life. The only difference between her inventions and the Hatter's was hers actually worked.

She liked inventing things for kids and would often try them out on her little sister and Alice's younger sister, who never passed up an opportunity to play guinea pig.

There were a few inventions Alice remembered that she thought her mother would even like.

One of them being a mini alarm system that told you when unwanted guests had entered your room or house, even if you couldn't see them.

Alice made a mental note to ask her cousin to give her one of those the next time she visited. She wanted to see if it worked on the Cheshire Cat.

Alice couldn't wait to see her cousins again. She was closest with Paige, but Lucy was fun too. She was only seven and already interested in sports and music. Her favorite sport was baseball. This lead Alice to believe that if she ever brought her to Wonderland, Lucy would make friends in the Tweedles for life.

As Alice was about to leave, her cell phone went off.

"Hello?" She asked putting it to her ear.

"Hey sis." Came Sammie's voice. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Alice replied. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing much." Sammie replied. "But I did have a favor to ask you."

"I knew it." Alice said knowingly. "You never just call me to see 'what's up. There's always a catch."

As Alice sat down on a bench, she glanced up to see Sophie's twelve-year-old sister, Abby, coming towards her. She had a book in her hand.

Telling Sammie she would call her back, Alice turned her attention to her niece.

"Hey kiddo. What's going on?" Alice asked as she gave Abby a hug.

The pre-teen shrugged.

"Nothing much. Sophie wanted me to give this to you. Something about it helping you figure out what to do."

Glancing down at the title, Alice grinned. She could always count on Sophie to help her in a pinch.

"Thanks." She said. "Do you want me to walk you home?"

Abby nodded.

"Sure. You know how my Mom gets about me coming home alone on a school night."

Alice nodded.

"Don't I know it." My Mom used to be the same way with me when I was your age. And that was when the Hatter and Hare would walk me home."

"Really?" Abby asked in disbelief.

"Yup. She told me once that she would rather I walk home alone."

This got both of them giggling.

"The Queen is something all right." Abby commented.

"You got that one right."

They had reached the Queen of Spade's palace by now.

"Well, I'll see you later." Abby said, giving Alice another hug. "Thanks for the company."

"No problem. Tell Soph I'll call her tonight."

"Will do. Night." With that, Abby went into the house and Alice turned around and headed for her mother's.

Upon arriving, Alice found Rabbit rummaging rapidly through a box of what looked to be different colored rings.

"What are those?" Alice asked curiously.

Rabbit jumped at the sound of his friend's voice and nearly dropped the box.

"Oops. Sorry, Mr. Rabbit. I didn't' mean to scare you."

"Scared? Me? Not at all. I was simply….preoccupied with this…" His voice trailed off as he noticed the red stain on Alice's shirt. "What happened to you?"

"Let's just say tomato soup and a picky three year old don't mix."

"A hard day at work?"

"You could say that. But it was fun too. I love working with kids. So what are those?" She repeated in an attempt to get back on track.

"OH these. They're decorations for the Queen's new fitness room."

"Fitness room? Okay. The only time Mom ever set foot in one of those things was when I was in gymnastics. How did you get her to agree to that?"

Rabbit shook his head.

"I didn't. The Tweedles did."

"It figures. My brothers will do anything to get the Queen in shape. At least they care."

At that, Rabbit laughed.

"OH, no, no, my dear. You misunderstood me. The Queen isn't having this fitness room built for herself."

"She isn't?" Alice asked. She then got a funny image of the Cheshire Cat coaching Dinah and Pumpkin in kitty aerobics.

"No. She's having this built so she can teach her own class."

"Great."

"The Queen seems to think so. She jumped at the chance when the Tweedles mentioned it. Especially when they mentioned the pay."

"Of course. Who wouldn't want a job where you got paid to boss people around."

"Let me guess, her first customer is the Hatter."

"Strangely enough no. Pinnepid wanted to sign up, but the Queen refused his offer."

"Poor Pinnepid." Alice said sympathetically. "The Walrus says he really needs to get in shape. Something about too many purple potato pancake parties."

Rabbit nodded. He was about to say something else, when the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?" Alice wondered. "Nobody hardly ever rings the doorbell here. They just walk in."

"Well, while I go see, might I suggest you get cleaned up."

"I guess you're right." With that, she left for her bathroom.

As she entered it, she found two furry felines waiting for her.

Oh no. Not this time. I'm taking this shower solo."

Dinah meowed reproachfully.

Alice shook her head.

"No way. I love you two, but you need to get out. Go bug Mom. On second thought, go hang out in my room. Something tells me if you go bug her, she'll make you get on a treadmill."

Dinah meowed and rubbed up against Alice's leg before leaving the room.

Pumpkin however, decided stretching out on the rug near the sink and taking the shampoo bottle hostage was a good idea.

"Now what are you planning on doing with that?" She asked the orange feline.

"She was saving it for me, of course." A familiar purring voice stated. "Thanks." With that, he snatched the bottle up.

"Hey! Give that back! Besides, what do you need with shampoo?"

"Alice, I'm surprised at you. Cats need to keep clean too. Besides, your shampoo makes the most bubbles."

"Did you ever hear of bubble bath?"

The Cat nodded.

"But I prefer shampoo bubbles. See ya!" With that, he left.

Letting out a growl a frustration, Alice picked Pumpkin up and set her outside the door.

Closing it behind her, she ignored the pitiful protests and started looking through the cabinet for another bottle of shampoo.

A half an hour later, Alice was cleaned up and had changed into another outfit.

Almost the second she had dropped a basket of clean clothes near her closet, Pumpkin felt it was her duty to keep them safe.

She jumped onto a freshly dried sweater and curled up for a catnap.

"Okay. I can't argue with that cute face. Just don't tell Mom. And don't shed."

Pumpkin meowed before going to sleep.

After Alice left her room, she headed for the kitchen.

"Hey Alice!" Hatter said the minute he saw her. "Just the person we wanted to see."

"Why?" Alice asked.

Hatter shrugged.

"You said your cousin is an inventor right?"

"One of them is." Alice replied guardedly. "Why?"

"No special reason." Hatter replied evasively. "I was just wondering if she would be willing to try something out."

"Mr. Hatter, she's only ten."

"What does that have anything to do with it?" Hatter mused.

Alice shook her head.

"Never mind. What did you want Paige to try out for you?"

"Why do you look so worried?" He asked.

"No special reason" Alice replied evenly. She flashed him a grin which he returned.

"Tu shae." He said just as the Queen entered the room.

"Now as all of you know, I've had a special project going on at the palace. And it's finally done."

Her subjects cheered with excitement and anticipation.

"So what is it?" Dum asked.

"Yeah." Dee chimed in. "What's the secret?"

"Well, I've finally done something that I've put off for awhile now."

"Your taxes?" Hare asked.

Alice couldn't help it. She let out a laugh and flashed Hatter a look.

"No." The Queen replied. But before she could go on, Hare interrupted her again.

"You made a generous donation to the National Wobear society so all the cute little wobears could have Christmas this year?"

"What?" Everyone asked in unison.

The Queen shook her head.

"No. And who said they celebrate Christmas anyway?"

"It says so in wobear weekly." Hare told her.

"You subscribe to that?" Hatter asked.

"Oh yeah. Didn't you know that? I started after last month's polar bear edition. Those guys really need haircuts."

"You thought so too." Hatter asked.

"All right you two, silence!"

The two friends stopped what they were doing and gave the Queen a surprised look.

"What do you have against wobears anyway, you're Majesty?"

"Nothing." The Queen replied. "But I would like to get this announcement made before the cows come home."

"They're coming back early?" Hare asked.

The Queen glared at him.

Alice chose that moment to save his tail.

"I think Mom meant she wants to tell us her announcement before it gets too late."

"Oh. Then why didn't' she just say so in the first place?" Hatter asked.

Alice rolled her eyes.

"Now that you all are done talking about homecoming cows and wobears on holiday, I have an announcement to make. Now as I was saying, the surprise in the palace is complete. Now I know all of you were wondering what it was. I'm going to tell you now. I've decided to have a fitness room put in the palace."

"Good for you, You're Majesty. You could stand to lose ten pounds."

Hatter nudged Hare in the side.

"Hare. Ten pounds is a little much. I would say at least five."

Alice gave her two friends a look. It wasn't that she didn't' agree with them, but she knew when to keep her royal opinion to herself.

"Excuse me." The Queen said. "What did you two just say?"

As much as Alice wanted to, she knew she couldn't save them this time.

"Uh…we said we thought that the Duchess could stand to lose ten pounds."

"Now there's something we agree on." The Queen said.

The two best friends heaved a sigh of relief.

Alice shot them a look that clearly stated that had been a close one…

The next day, Alice found herself on the other side of her mirror at her Aunt Alyssa's house.

Paige and Lucy had been thrilled to see her. She promised them she would hang out with them later.

The girls nodded and ran off to play.

Before the girls left, Paige pulled Alice aside.

"I have something for the Queen." She told her. "I think she'll really like it. It'll cut down her cat problem."

"Cool. I know she'll use it." Alice replied. With that, the girls left.

After Alice and her aunt had spent some time together, Alice decided to take a walk.

She had decided to go to the park her grandmother used to take her and her sister to when they were younger. It always had a way of relaxing her.

As Alice walked through the familiar entrance, she went for the swings. She always liked sitting on them to think. She also found pleasure in swinging every once in a while as well. She wasn't ashamed of it at all.

As she rounded the corner to where the swings were, she stopped as a sound in the distance caught her ears.

She listened harder and realized what it was. At first, she thought it had been a cat.

It wasn't strange for people to abandon their animals in places like this. She had even seen a box of kittens in Wonderland's park once before.

She had asked her mother if they could keep them, but the Queen was adamant. Two kittens were enough for one palace.

Alice had nursed them back to health before taking them to the local animal shelter.

They had been underweight and needed to be fed by eye dropper until they were well enough to drink milk from a saucer.

The Queen was generous enough to let them stay until they were able to be weaned from their "mother" so to speak.

It didn't help when Hatter named one of them zippy because of the markings and wanted to take him home.

The Queen allowed this because it meant one less kitten causing a chaos in her palace.

Hatter happily took Zippy home and made him a member of the family.

Zippi looked like his name sake and wasn't shy about taking what he wanted.

It was fortunate that he didn't take much interest in the Dormouse.

Hatter had not only named him Zippi because of how he looked, but his speed accounted for it too. His name was also attributed to a TV icon known only to Wonderland residents. Zippi the hamster was in a commercial for Wonderland fitness centers.

Zippi the kitten had made himself at home. He followed Hatter everywhere. Instead of milk, he always had tea.

Zippi always waited for Hatter in the kitchen every morning to get his breakfast.

Zippi had a tendency to play favorites. He loved Hatter, there was no doubt about that. But when it came to the other residents of Wonderland, his second favorites were Alice and Dum.

Dum because he always brought him treats and Alice because she always had Dinah's scent on her. Also, she gave the best cuddles.

Zippi was definitely a purr box when he wanted to be. The funny thing was, he was also afraid of thunderstorms like Dinah.

Strangely enough, Pumpkin was a fearless kitty. She welcomed storms with the fearlessness of a tiger. The only thing she was afraid of was going to the vet.

As Alice got closer to where the sound was coming from, she saw a basket lying underneath of an oak tree.

But it wasn't a kitten or even several kittens she found inside, but a baby.

The baby was wearing a pink outfit with a pink bandana around her head. This caused Alice to believe she was a girl.

"What in Wondaland…?" She asked as she peered in the basket and carefully lifted the baby into her arms. "Who would leave a baby out here?"

The moment the baby was out of the basket, she started to settle down.

Alice smiled down at her warmly.

The baby had blue eyes and the same shade of blond hair as Alice herself.

As Alice took in her appearance, she grinned.

"Hi there little one." She said gently. "What are you doin' all the way out here? Do you have a name?"

The baby gurgled as though to answer Alice's question.

Glancing down at the basket, Alice tried to find a note, but there wasn't one.

"Okay. Let's get you out of here. My name's Alice. Don't worry, I'm gonna take care of you."

When they returned to the house, Alice went inside and into the living room, where she found Paige hard at work on something.

"Is that the cat detector?" She asked her cousin

"Oh yeah. What do you think of the design?"

"As the Cheshire cat would say, it's purfect."

The two girls giggled over that one.

"Do you think it'll be ready by the time I leave tomorrow?"

"It should be." Paige said. "If Pepper doesn't start playing with it. Then again, if it works the way it should, it'll freak her out and we won't have a problem."

"Paige! Don't give the poor cat a heart attack."

"Don't worry. She's not even ten years old."

Alice rolled her eyes.

"Where's your Mom?"

"She's on the back porch. She's having lunch with her friend, Melissa." It was then that Paige noticed the baby in her cousin's arms. "Where did you find her?"

"That's what I need to talk to your Mom and Melissa about. I found her alone in the park."

Paige frowned.

"She's pretty cute." Paige observed as she got a good look at the infant. "Why would someone do that to a kid?" She wondered aloud.

Alice shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm grateful the Queen took me in. Well, I'd betta get out there. I'll see ya later." With that, Alice left.

"Don't even think about it." Paige said as she saw Pepper eyeing the device. "If you want to live out the rest of your nine lives, you won't put a paw on this thing."

Pepper meowed before jumping onto the catwalk that Alyssa had installed for her.

Meanwhile, out on the back porch, Alice found her aunt and Melissa talking over a lunch of taco salad, rice burritos and guacamole.

"Hey honey!" Alyssa said when she saw her niece. "Come and join us."

"You guys ordered from Fiesta Time again, didn't you?"

"How did you know?" She asked as Alice sat down with the baby in her arms.

"Well, Fiesta Time is the only restaurant that has a Chawawa inside a clock on the box. And the Chawawa's eating a breakfast burrito."

"Do you want some?" Alyssa offered.

"No. I'm good. Besides, I saw Paige had a few vegetable pizzas in the freezer. I think I'll eat one of those."

"Okay. If you're sure."

"I am. But I did wanna talk to you guys. When I was at the park, I found something interesting."

She held the bundle out for both women to see.

"Was there a note?" Melissa asked before introducing herself.

"No. I looked in the basket, but I couldn't' find one. She's adorable. She doesn't look too much older than a month old."

"I think you're right." Melissa said. "May I see her for a minute?"

"Sure."

As Alice handed the baby over, the infant started to wail.

"Hey, it's okay." Alice soothed. "I'm still here." With that, she started to hum a song she had sung a few years ago at the Hatter's birthday party.

This seemed to calm the baby down.

"She looks healthy." Melissa observed. "But we should get her checked out all the same."

"Can I come with?" Alice asked.

"Sure." Melissa replied. "If you don't mind riding shot gun in a red convertible."

Alice grinned.

"I don't mind at all. If only my Mom could see that car. She'd go nuts."

"Here you go." With that, Melissa handed the baby back to Alice.

The moment Alice secured her in her arms, the baby stopped crying.

"She really seems to like you." Melissa said as they got into her car.

"I like her a lot too." Alice assured her. "She's a sweet one."

"They generally are."

Alice talked to the baby during the whole twenty minute drive to the hospital.

When they got inside, Melissa filled out the paperwork while Alice kept the baby company.

They were seen a half an hour later. This was good considering it was a Friday and rush hour had just begun.

A doctor by the name of Cindi Johnson took over the baby's care.

She asked both Alice and Melissa some questions and they both answered to the best of their ability.

"So where did you find this cutie?" She asked.

"In the park." Alice replied. "She was in a laundry basket. There wasn't a note or anything."

Cindi nodded.

"Well, let's get started then. This shouldn't take more than a little while at the most." With that, she began the examination.

After the baby's vitals were taken, Cindi did what was called an Apgar scale to determine the baby's overall health.

"Her score's good for someone her age. She's at an eight."

"What does that mean?" Alice asked. She knew she should have known that from health class, but it had just slipped her mind.

"It means she's on the right track." Cindi told her with a smile. "Now all she needs is a name. But I know you'll think of it in time."

"So what happens now?" Alice asked.

"Well, we need to find a temporary placement for her until a more permanent one can be found."

"What about her birth mom?" Alice asked.

"The sad truth is, we would most likely be wasting our time. The reason is, while we like to think that all mothers are suited to be parents, it's just not so. When a baby is abandoned, usually the parents or parent don't want to be found. We'll try to find her, but don't get your hopes up."

Alice nodded. She had picked the baby back up and was talking to her softly.

"We'll introduce you to the Queen in no time. She's going to love you. Won't that be fun?"

The baby burped in response.

"I know the Hatter will definitely love you. And forget the Tweedles. They're gonna spoil you." With that, she followed Melissa out of the office and back to her car.

When they returned to the house, Alice fed the baby some milk and then put her down for a nap. She didn't exactly put her down since she loved holding her so much, but she did let her get some rest. She knew the infant needed it after the long day she had just experienced. Besides, who knew how long she had been out there in the park…

Before Alice knew it, a few days had passed and then a week, followed by another.

The baby's mother had been tracked down to Atlanta Georgia. She had moved there with her boyfriend a few days ago. But just as a friend of Melissa's had pin pointed where they would go next, they disappeared again.

When Melissa had relayed this info to Alice and her aunt, Alice thought these people could be distant relatives of the Cheshire Cat.

It had been nearly three weeks since Alice had found the one-month-old baby girl and already they had formed a strong bond.

Alice had named her Katelyn Elisabeth, but affectionately called her Kate most of the time.

The day before Alice was to return to Wonderland, Melissa showed up with some good news.

Since the mother had basically forked over her parental rights, Kate had become a ward of the state.

As far as Melissa was concerned, she had observed Alice and the way she took care of the infant and was pleased with what she saw.

Even first time mothers were a little frustrated with having their sleep interrupted and rightly so. But that was hardly the case with Alice.

She seemed the happiest when she was holding Kate.

"Well, it seems we've found the perfect home for her." Melissa said as she sat across from Alice and Paige that afternoon.

Paige had quickly formed a small bond with the child too and would be sorry to see her go.

She had also finished the Queen's invention and was anxious to see what her Majesty thought of it.

"Where's that?" Alice asked.

Melissa smiled.

"Right here." She said. "With you. You two have formed a strong bond and I would be foolish to try and break it up. Besides, you two look cute together."

"You really mean it?" Alice asked.

"Uh-huh." She said earnestly.

"Awesome!" Paige cheered. "I have a new cousin and it's a girl!"

Alice giggled.

After the papers were signed, Melissa stayed for lunch and then said she had to leave. She had another case to fulfill.

Once Melissa was gone, Paige demonstrated her invention for Alice one more time. She wanted to make sure she knew how it worked.

"I put together a list of instructions." She said. "Do you think the Queen will follow them?"

"Oh yeah." Alice said as she thought back on the incident with Technobunny. "She'll follow them all right."

"Good. I know she's stubborn."

Alice grinned.

"You have no idea."

The next day, Alice and Katelyn returned to Wonderland.

Alice was happy to be back home and she couldn't wait to introduce her new daughter to her family.

As she walked into the palace, she was greeted by Rabbit.

"Oh hello, Alice. You're back. Did you have a nice time at your…Alice?"

"Yes, Mr. Rabbit?" Alice said knowingly.

"You're holding a…there's a….where did you get the baby?"

"I found her." Alice replied. "Her name is Katelyn or Kate for short."

"Well, she is adorable I must say." Rabbit commented. "She looks a lot like you."

"I know. Would you like to hold her?"

"Uh, I don't think…actually, what do you think?"

"You'll be fine. Here, sit down on the bench."

"All right, if you insist."

"I do. Trust me. It'll be fine."

"If you say so." With that, Rabbit sat down.

"There you go. See? She's fine." With that, she sat down next to Rabbit on his left.

Rabbit gazed down at the baby and smiled. He couldn't help it. She was rather cute.

Alice grinned as she watched Kate interacting with her good friend.

Kate was more relaxed than Alice had ever seen her.

She suddenly reached up and went for one of Rabbit's whiskers.

Rabbit chuckled good naturedly.

"Well, I Think it's safe to say she likes me."

"I would say so." Alice agreed.

Rabbit held Kate for a few more minutes before he and Alice both heard the Queen yelling for him.

"Well, duty calls. Although I wish it had an off button."

Alice giggled.

"I know what you mean. Come on. Let's get inside. Maybe seeing Kate will soften Mom up a little."

Entering the palace, the Queen's voice was clearer now.

"Rabbit! Rabbit! Where's my mail?"

At the sound of the Queen's yells, Kate started to cry.

"Aw, shh, it's okay. Grandma's just being grandma. She'll calm down eventually. Come on. Let's surprise her."

"Oh, she'll be surprised all right." Rabbit commented as he went towards the Throne room. 'Perhaps I should give you a head start?"

"No. We'll be fine. Thanks anyway, MR. Rabbit. But I can handle Mom. I saved the history of Wonderland after all. Besides, when she sees this cute face, she won't be able to resist."

Taking a minute to collect her important royal thoughts, Alice started singing "Somebody Temporarily Yours" softly to calm Kate down.

It worked slowly but surely.

As Alice was about to enter the Throne room, the Queen emerged from it.

"What's taking so long? My mail should have been here by now. Oh hi Alice, I didn't know you were back."

"Hello to you, You're Majesty."

"I'm sorry. I am happy to see you. It's just when Rabbit is late with my mail, I'm a very crabby Queen."

'When are you never crabby? Alice thought to herself.

It was then that the Queen glanced down and saw the baby in her daughter's arms.

"What's that?" The Queen asked.

"It's a baby, You're Hiness." Rabbit said coming into hallway. "Here's your mail. I believe you got a letter from the Duchess."

"Oh I don't care about that. You can throw it out. Now back to you. Where did you find it?"

"It's not an 'it. It's a her. Her name is Kate. Actually, it's Katelyn Elisabeth Miller. But we call her Kate."

"We? Whose we?"

"Well, me, my cousin Paige, who by the way sent you something and Mr. Rabbit."

"She is quite adorable, You're Majesty."

The Queen's eyes lit up at Alice's last statement.

"Paige sent something for me? What is it? Tell me, tell me, tell me."

"I'll do betta than that. I'll show you." With that, Alice placed Kate in Rabbits' arms before unhooking the bag from her shoulder.

As she unloaded the invention, she set it upon the floor and prepared to demonstrate it.

"Now, you need to follow the instructions. Do you think you can do that this time?"

"Oh hurrumph. Of course I can. When have I never followed instructions?"

"Need I remind you about the disasta known as Technobunny?"

"Oh right. Well, since your cousin is a well known young inventor, I don't see there being any problems."

"Now, you just turn it on by flipping this red switch and…" Alice's voice trailed off as an alarm that sounded strangely like Minuet in G being played on a xylophone went off.

"Aah, fan fairing my arrival. Finally, I get the respect I deserve."

"Not exactly." The Queen replied. She then turned to her daughter. "Tell your cousin she's welcome in Wonderland any time. She's done good work."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that." Alice told her mother. "She's really wants to mete Hatter."

"Heaven help us if that ever happens." The Queen retorted.

It was then that the Cat noticed Kate.

"Hey. Whose the new addition? Is she a cat person?"

"She will be when she gets olda." Alice told him. "This is Katelyn Elisabeth, or Kate. She's my new daughter."

"Aw. How sweet. We'll teach you how to torture your Grandma in no time."

"What do you mean by that?" The Queen demanded. "I'm nobody's grandma."

"Don't mind her." The Cat told the baby. "She's always crabby. But maybe you can soften her up a bit. We'll work on it together. Right now, I'm late for a kitty club meeting. See ya." With that, he disappeared.

As he did so, the alarm stopped.

"Finally." The Queen said. "This alarm works wonders. Do you think it would work with the Duchess?"

"I don't know." Alice mused. "You could try it."

"I think I will." The Queen decided.

"Would you like to hold her?" Alice asked, referring to Kate.

"The Duchess? I should say not."

"No! No! I mean Kate."

"Oh. Well, maybe later. I have some royal mail to read."

"Oh yeah. You wouldn't wanna miss that letta from the Duchess."

"On second thought, maybe just for a minute."

"Great!" With that, she set Kate in the Queen's arms and smiled at the interaction that took place.

Although the Queen looked like she was holding something dangerous, Kate seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Whose that, huh? Who has you? Does Grandma have you? Yes. Yes she does."

"I am not Grandma."

"Yes you are." Alice told her.

"No I'm not. I'm Queen and I demand this child not call me Grandma."

"Well, I'm sorry, You're Majesty, but that's one order that probably won't be followed."

"We'll see about that." The Queen said. "She's smiling at me. Why is she doing that?"

"Uh, maybe because she likes you." Alice suggested.

"Watch your mouth." The Queen ordered. "Babies are fast learners. She's already going to be influenced by Hatter. She doesn't need her mother teaching her bad habits too."

"Is that a hint of a concerned tone I detect, You're Hiness?" Alice asked playfully.

"Well…maybe. After all, she is kind of cute." With that, she handed the child back to Alice.

After Alice had put her stuff away, she got Kate settled for the night. She knew Hatter and Hare, along with the Tweedles would be by for dinner later on. She also knew they would love Kate once they met her.

"Well, this is your new home. Mr. Rabbit and the Cat already love you. And we'll get Grandma warmed up to you eventually. And of course Dinah loves you. But most of all, I do. I love you so much. I'm glad we found each other. Oh and the Walrus and Pinniped will adore you too. Although Pinniped is kind of a hit or miss."

Just then, Alice heard a knock at her door.

"Come in." She said.

The door opened and Hatter strolled in.

"Alice, there you are! The Queen told us you were back. And she also told us you had a surprise to show us. Aw, she's soo cute."

"Thanks." Alice replied. "I think Mom was shocked."

"Just between you and me, I think Grandma suits her." Hatter said.

"Me too." Alice replied with a giggle. "Me too."

Later that night, Dinah ran into Alice's room and jumped onto the bed. She curled up beside her best friend and started to purr. She loved sleeping next to Alice. She knew if her best friend woke up in the middle of the night, she would most likely pet her for a few minutes.

Just then, she jumped off the bed and ran across the room to Kate's crib.

The Tweedles had helped Alice set it up after dinner. They had also made a fuss over Kate in between poking jabs at her 'Grandma.

Poking her head over the side of the bars, Dinah meowed softly before curling up beside the infant's crib and falling asleep. It was her own way of letting Kate know she was there.

A few hours later, Alice awoke to feed Kate her midnight bottle.

As she walked over to the crib, she noticed Dinah sleeping beside it. Her blanket was curled around her.

"Thanks, Dinah." Alice whispered. "I love you. Night." With that, she lifted Kate up and settled down with her in a rocking chair by the window. Even though it was nearly twelve-thirty at night, Alice wouldn't want to be anywhere else than where she was right now.

She knew Parenthood was new to her. She also knew while there would be a lot of adjustments, for now, she was content.

THE END


End file.
